PALs serve as positive role models who provide continuity, care, and support for children at a time of great stress and instability in their lives. Volunteers must be at least 18 and committed to providing two hours of play weekly to homeless children ranging from infants to 6-year-olds.

“We tend to serve more children at the end of the school year and over the summer months, especially,” Schafer said in a May 14 interview. “This opportunity for organized play becomes a critical thing for them. They’ve already had so much change and chaos in their lives. Play is really how they learn, grow, thrive, and heal.”

According to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, frequent creative play is integral to developing executive functioning skills in young children. Children who lack access to such programs are far more likely to experience developmental delays, learning disabilities, health problems, and other challenges.

Headquartered in Roxbury, Horizons for Homeless Children provides hope and opportunity to the families it serves, including encouragement, a sounding board, and strategies that help parents navigate the system, so that they reclaim their independence -- and ultimately leave the shelter system.

Schafer said the shelter system in Massachusetts is primarily designed for adults, with staff focused on helping them reach self-sufficiency. Often there is less bandwidth to support the extensive needs of children experiencing homelessness.

Begun in 1990, Horizons' Playspace program stems from the simple belief that every child has the right to joyful play experiences. Horizons since has installed child-friendly rooms in more than 90 partner shelters across the state. They are designed – and play resources, carefully selected – to reflect the needs of children ages 6-and-under experiencing trauma.

Five activity areas – including dramatic play, arts and crafts, infant, manipulatives, and literacy – are designed to address the age and interests of all children.

Horizons pays careful attention to using a trauma-informed approach, from defined areas of play to calm lighting and color-schemes, because homelessness may be the result of domestic violence, parental substance abuse, or divorce -- all of which may be traumatic for a young child.

For instance, molding clay represents not only a chance to connect with a caring adult, but also a means of working out stress.

“Being creative helps them get out their emotions,” Schafer said.

Playspaces are staffed by a dedicated volunteer corps of 1,000 Playspace Activity Leaders, who comprise one of the largest groups of volunteers in the state.

Each Playspace has two-hour volunteer shifts that occur throughout the week. Shifts often are scheduled in conjunction with Horizons' financial literacy classes, parenting classes, case management meetings, and other programming that parents need but are often unable to attend without this support.

Horizons currently offers 340 Playspace shifts a week in 120 locations statewide. That’s 680 hours of play each week for the children living in shelters. The majority of shifts occur Monday through Thursday evenings, 4-8 p.m., but some programs also have morning or late afternoon shifts.

Schafer and Heather Brady, programs and volunteer coordinator, are in charge of 20 shelters in Bourne, Falmouth, Hyannis, and off-Cape. They work with about 325 children and 250 volunteers who come in for weekly two-hour shifts.

“When parents have an opportunity to take a break and de-stress, they’re going to be better parents after those two hours,” Schafer said. “They just need a little extra help so they can continue on.”

“We work with young students who are in college, families who just want to give back, and retirees who want to be around young children again and feel that energy back in their lives,” Schafer said.

This year’s final training session is scheduled for Thursday, June 7, 6-9 p.m., at Temple Baptist Church, 540 Manley St., in West Bridgewater. For details, visit www.horizonschildren.org or call 508-510-3250.

Playspace sessions are conducted at two Hyannis locations: Angel House, which is operated by the Housing Assistance Corporation of Cape Cod; and Safe Harbor, run by the Cape Cod and Islands Community Action Council.